What's on in Maui (Kaanapali), United States through the year

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Christmas and New Year

• Rule

  Haleakala sunrise reservation

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  Every private vehicle entering the summit between three and seven in the morning needs a timed reservation, released sixty days ahead and gone within minutes. Sunset needs none. Source ↗

• Rule

  Waianapanapa timed entry

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The black sand beach at the far end of the Hana road takes non-residents by reservation only, in a set arrival window released thirty days ahead. Turning up without one is a turn-around at the gate. Source ↗

• Season

  The Hana road convoy

  1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Around 620 bends and 46 one-lane bridges, taken by everyone at once between nine and three. Leaving Paia before seven, or staying the night in Hana, is the difference between a drive and a queue. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Box jellyfish influx

  1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyInsect season

  Seven to ten days after each full moon the box jellyfish come into the leeward beaches and the south-shore parks put signs out. The lifeguards have the dates in advance and it lasts two or three days. Source ↗

Still on: North shore winter swell (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Dec – 15 May), Christmas and New Year (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, World Whale Day

• Festival

  World Whale Day

  8–22 Feb · usuallyWhale seasonCrowded

  A parade down South Kihei Road and a day of ocean programming in mid-February, at the peak of the whale count. Kihei traffic stops for the morning of it. Source ↗

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), North shore winter swell (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Dec – 15 May)

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), North shore winter swell (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Dec – 15 May)

Busy — The Hana road convoy

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Dec – 15 May)

Busy — The Hana road convoy

• Nature

  Upcountry jacaranda

  1 May – 15 Jun · usually

  The road up through Kula towards Haleakala goes purple for about six weeks in late spring, a good enough reason on its own to drive upcountry rather than stay on the coast. Source ↗

• Season

  Trade wind and windsurf season

  1 May – 30 Sep · usuallyWind season

  The trades blow hardest through the summer, prevalent 80-95% of the time from May to September, and Hookipa on the north shore is where the sailors and kites go for it. The same wind is what makes those beaches unpleasant for anything else. Source ↗

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Dec – 15 May)

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Summer break in United States

• Hazard

  Central Pacific hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  Most systems track well south of the islands and pass as a few days of heavy swell and rain. A direct hit is rare, but the season is also when the trade winds are least reliable. Source ↗

• Season

  Calmest water and warmest sea

  15 Jun – 15 Oct · usuallySea warm enough

  Summer flattens the north and west shores and warms the water into the high twenties, which is why the snorkelling boats to Molokini run best then. The south swell only affects the Kihei side.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Upcountry jacaranda (1 May – 15 Jun (usually)), Trade wind and windsurf season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Trade wind and windsurf season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Calmest water and warmest sea (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Trade wind and windsurf season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Calmest water and warmest sea (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Trade wind and windsurf season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Calmest water and warmest sea (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — The Hana road convoy

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Calmest water and warmest sea (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Thanksgiving break in United States

• Season

  North shore winter swell

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallySurf seasonRisk

  The winter north swells that light up Peahi also close the north-shore beaches to swimmers and make Honolua a spectator sport. The leeward side stays calm through all of it.

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — The Hana road convoy, Christmas and New Year

• Nature

  Humpback whale season

  15 Dec – 15 May

  The North Pacific humpbacks calve in the shallow Auau Channel between Maui, Lanai and Molokai. The sanctuary season runs mid-December to mid-May and peaks between mid-January and mid-March. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The most expensive fortnight of the Hawaiian year, with resort rates roughly doubling and flights booked months out. It coincides with the start of whale season, which is the compensation. Source ↗

Still on: Haleakala sunrise reservation (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Waianapanapa timed entry (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The Hana road convoy (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), North shore winter swell (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))